Bloodlines one-shot(s)
by alicekandee01
Summary: Just some Bloodlines One-shots please read and review! fixed chapters 1-3! Rated T for very minor swearing.
1. A Beautiful Light

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Bloodlines, or the Vampire Academy characters; they all belong to Richelle Mead! **

** AN: I fixed this chapter! (Again) Its way better now hopefully, but that's for you to judge.**

Her sobs echoed through the empty hallways as Jill and I leaned against the wall. I don't know how anyone wasn't able to find her-since you could practically hear her crying a mile away. Jill's clothing and hair were damp, and I didn't question her about it.

My arms were wrapped around her slender shoulders and her head lay against my chest. I wasn't exactly the most comforting person, since I had no idea what to do in these kinds of situations. But I still tried my best as I stroked her wet hair and murmured meaningless words to her.

We all had recently discovered that Queen Lissa had the new law passed and that it was safe now for Jill to come back to court. Actually, the law was passed a few months ago, but Jill had wanted to finish the school year so she stayed.

After a few minutes of awkwardly sitting on the floor with Jill weeping, Jill had started to calm down. She sniffled a few times as she lifted her head off my chest. The tears had stopped flowing but they still threatened to spill over. She wiped her sleeve over her nose and in a cracked voice she said, "Sorry about ruining your shirt. It's . . . I've just that I-I've never really cried like this before. I should be stronger than this," she whispered the last part to herself. She took in a deep breath and drew her hair curling back from her face.

Straightening her shoulders, Jill stands up and offers me her hand. Pulling me up to my feet, she gives me a weak smile. "Sorry again for ruining your shirt. It probably has my snot all over it . . ." she trailed off, not knowing what to say anymore. Clearing her throat, she started over. "So, uh, you should probably get back to bed. I don't really want to worry you with my troubles."

I bit my lip and shook my head. "I'm not that tired anymore. Jill, are you sure you're okay?"

Jill looked like she would cry again but instead took another deep breath and said, "Yeah, I 'm fine."

"No you're not. Jill, tell me what happed."

Jill fiddled with the ends of her hair for a moment before reluctantly saying, "Can we go to my room first? I want to take a shower since I kind of feel gross."

"And then will you tell me everything?" I raised my eyebrows at her. She nodded.

Spinning on her heel, Jill turns around and starts to walk rapidly. I hurriedly try to catch up with her.

When we make it to her room, I have to withhold a gasp. Her room was _big_. Bigger than mine was, and mine was pretty large. Her room had creamy colored wood floors and soft baby blue bedding. The ceilings were high and the walls a pale purple color. She had a small living room with fancy white couches and a marble coffee table. Jill's room was all pale light, and was a number of various colors.

As Jill headed to the bathroom, I sat on one of the couches and almost instantly sank into them. Taking off the thin jacket I had on, I pull out my phone and send a quick text to Adrian.

_Found her, I'm with her in her room. _I've hardly even looked up from my tiny phone screen before it vibrates.

Adrian had wrote back: _Is she okay? I'm coming down right now._

I thought back to how hesitant Jill was to talk to me, I was sure Jill didn't want to talk to anyone else at the time being.

_No, don't. I don't think she wants to talk to anyone right now. I'll stay with her._

His reply was fast: _Fine._

I sighed as I rubbed my eyes tiredly. I lied to Jill when I told her I wasn't tired and now I wanted nothing more than to curl into bed and sleep. Instead of doing that though, I thought back to when Adrian had first told me that Jill was missing.

_When I finally got passed the guardians at the door and walked into Adrian's room, the first thing I heard was yelling. "What do you mean you can't find Jill?" Eddie barked at Rose. _

_She flinched. "Look, I know she's been gone for a couple of hours but you just seriously need to calm down." Although she said this, the look on her face is far away from being calm. _

"_What's going on?" I asked, still a little groggy from being woken up at a late hour. _

_When Adrian had first woke me up with his text, I had hoped it was actually important and that he didn't wake me up in the middle up the night for his own amusement. And judging from the way Eddie was yelling, it was very important. _

_Lissa's boyfriend, Christian, opened his mouth and said, "Not to be rude, but who are you?" My head snapped to his direction. He had black hair and blues eyes. After he said that, everyone quiets down and looks at me. _

_I flushed at everyone's staring. I was wearing a white blouse underneath my thin blazer and black slacks. My hair though, was down and slightly messy. Adrian had told me to hurry up when I didn't respond and I really didn't want to embarrass myself by wearing pajamas._

_ Almost everyone I knew is here: Angeline, Eddie, Rose, Dmitri, Sonya, and of course Adrian. Then there were those who I don't personally know: Lissa, Christian, and a short blond haired girl. _

_"The cookie monster," I answered him sarcastically._

"_Sydney?" Rose spluttered, looking shocked. "What are you doing here?" _

_Adrian smiles slightly at that. "Do you think I could leave her out of this?" he said. "She's one of the people who know Jill best." _

"_What's this about you guys not being able to find Jill?" I asked worriedly. That wipes the small smile off Adrian's face. _

"_We don't know where she is" Rose said, frustrated. "She's been gone for almost 24 hours."_

"_And no one said anything to me until now!" I shrieked. _

_They at least had the decency to look sheepish. Dimitri stepped forward and said, "We, uh,-"_

"Sydney?" Jill's voice brings me back to reality. And judging by her face, this wasn't the first time she said my name.

I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn't notice that Jill had finished her shower. She looked much better now, her pale face was unblemished and she now smelled fruity. She wore lavender colored pajamas and a white towel sat on top of her head. "Sorry," I said. "I was just lost in my thoughts."

"Obviously," she says. Jill moved over to her large dressing table and took off her towel and started to brush her hair. After her hair untangles from its mess of wet curls, without drying her long locks she starts to braid it. While doing her hair, Jill asks, "Can you sleep here tonight? I really don't want to be alone."

I nod tentatively and Jill's face brightens a little bit.

After she finished braiding her hair, she walks over to her bed and sat down, drawing her knees up to her chest. Patting the space next to her, I get off the couch and join her. I crossed my legs pretzel style.

We sat there for a few minutes, enjoying the silence before I broke it. "Do you want to talk about what had happened Jill?" My voice soft and encouraging.

"I…I don't know." She says it uncertainly at first, but then everything comes rushing out. "Okay, so Rose told me she wanted me to come with her and talk to Lissa and you know . . . try to be sisters and stuff and hang out. But at first I didn't want to go because I know Lissa doesn't like me that much and all, but then Rose convinced me into to going so I did. Anyways, I was scared -"

"Jill!" I said a bit too loudly. She flinches and stops talking immediately. The reason I interrupted Jill so rudely was because she had started rambling and talking so fast, that her words started to mesh together. Plus, her face got slightly red and I didn't want Jill's death on my hands just because she couldn't take a breather.

"I'm sorry" I say in a much quieter voice.

"It's okay." She takes a deep slow breath, and I tell her to continue.

"Anyways" Jill said slowly. "When I came to the place Rose set up for me and Lissa, I overheard her talking about me and how-" her voice cracks and she takes another shaky breath. "-about how I just keep reminding her of how her dad had . . . h-had . . ." Jill breaks down again and my arms automatically wrap around her in an embrace. She buries her face in my hair and hugs me tight.

Lissa's father had a mistress who ended up being Jill's mother: Resulting in her getting pregnant with Jill. Jill's mother had wanted Jillian to have a normal life, so, she told no one about the one night stand with Lissa's father. Jill had known at first that Lissa didn't like her all that much and I assumed that she hadn't really minded before and that she probably didn't really like Lissa either. But when she found out whom her real dad was . . . It wasn't that hard to put the pieces together that Lissa was her half sister-who is now queen.

I couldn't imagine what Jill was going through.

"I know its p-pretty stupid of m-me to c-c-cry like this, b-b-but she said some other things t-t-too." She was stuttering in her words.

I hated to see Jill hurt. Trying to end her internal pain, I tell her, "its okay. We don't have to talk about it about it anymore." She nods and hugs me tighter.

"You know you're more like a sister to me that she ever was." Jill's voice is muffled-her face was still buried in my hair. I felt touched that she thought of me that way. Letting go of her, I get off the bed and turn off the lights.

"What are you doing?" Jill asks. Any trace of sadness in her voice was gone; instead it was replaced with curiosity.

"Hold on," is all I say.

When I finally found my way back to Jill's bed in the dark, I cup my hands together like I was reading a book. Lately I've been practicing magic more than ever before, but I was nervous to show others of my magical ability that wasn't or Adrian.

I whisper the incantation and focus hard on the spell. Something warm flows through me and my hands start to get hotter by the second. Suddenly, there in my hands floats a small gold and blue orbit of light. The light had what looks like blue and gold dust falling out from the sides-like a pretty fountain.

"Oh. My. God," Jill gushes, making each word its own sentence. "That's so pretty! Can I touch it?" she asks.

"Well I didn't make it for you to just stare stupidly at."

Jill's face, now illuminated by the glow, reaches out and her forefinger gently touches the beautiful light.

I'd come across this spell when I found out that my favorite uncle had died. I was in a depression, but not for a long time. No one knew about it, not even Adrian whom I usually tell everything to. But I just didn't want him to worry about me.

His mother had been recently been released from prison at the time my uncle died. And Adrian was so happy that I didn't want to ruin that happiness just because_ I_ wasn't happy. And usually when I wasn't happy, Adrian normally wasn't happy until I was in high spirits.

"Can you keep it going while we sleep?"

Snapping out of my thoughts, Jill's voice broke the spell and everything went dark.

"I guess not" she giggles and I start laughing with her.

When my eyes finally adjust to the dark, I could make out Jill's thin outline. "Okay, enough laughing. Let's go to bed."

I take off my shoes and slip under the covers with her. I really wasn't wearing the right wear for sleeping, but what did it matter if I slept in pants for one night? She scoots over to make more room for me, which wasn't really necessary since her bed was huge.

When I sink into the mattress, I felt like I was suffocating. I change my position, but it made no difference.

"Oh God" I whisper. "Jill?"

"Yeah?"

"How on Earth can you sleep like this?" She giggles.

"You'll get used to it." I sigh annoyingly and she laughs even harder.

"Good night Sydney" Jill whispers, gasping for breath when she finally stopped laughing.

"Good night Jill" I whisper back. After a few moments when I finally start to drift off into the sweet, blissful darkness, I murmur to Jill, "You're like a sister to me too." And I plunge into what was for the first time in a while, happy dreams.

**Please review on this one-shot! And tell me if you want me to do more!**

**Please review if you like the changes! **


	2. The Lake

**Edited this chapter. :)**

**Disclaimer: I only own the plot.**

Finally, I push through the open door after standing outside in the rain for at least ten minutes. I was soaked to the bone with my hair and clothes clinging to me like glue. I wrap my arms around myself as my teeth chatter and my whole body starts shaking.

It's been years since I've seen my uncle, and last I heard he still lived here so I decided to give him a surprise visit during my spring break. I'd told the gang at Palm Springs that I was only going to stay here for a few days and they were fine with it.

Normally I would've given up on trying to get the door open, but It had taken me hours to get here and there was no one else living close by that at least wasn't 20 miles away.

I call out, but there's no answer. The house is eerily quiet that makes Goosebumps appear on my arm. Besides the pounding rain from outside, it's silent.

Closing the door, I turn on the lights and see that the house looked almost the exact same since I last came here. I was starting to get numb from all the pain so I decided to look for anyone one who was staying here. Although it was unlikely that I would find someone, it was just that the house gave me a feeling that there was something here and I shouldn't stop looking until I found it. I first start with the living room, then the kitchen, the guest rooms, my uncle's room, and even the bathrooms. But I find nothing.

When I walk back into the living room, I notice something that I had missed before. A small dark puddle that looked like mud, sat on the floor near the old, worn couches.

A small sneeze escapes from me, making me jump from the sudden sound. The rain had become like background noise to me. I try to shake off the fear that had crept over me and sat down on the couch. I stare at the walls. They were usually a dark navy blue, but now that I look more closely I notice that there are small flowers on the walls. Frowning, I get up from my seat and walk towards the walls, trying to get a closer look. My eyes were barely two inches away from the wall when something glinted. The patter on the wall wasn't just any kind of flower, they're _golden_ _lilies_.

My finger slowly reaches out to touch it, but a small shock courses through my stomach.

"Ow!" I cry out, bending forward and clutching my stomach. The lilies now forgotten, I notice something on the bottom of the wall. Ignoring the pain in my body, I kneel and see a gaping hole that ran along the wall like it'd been lifted a few inches of the floor. It was pretty thin, but wide enough that I could probably-if I tried hard enough-squeeze my hand through.

I think of rats, webs, and spiders as to what was in the hole, but curiosity pushed me to see what was really under there.

Shoving my hand through the hole with some difficulty, I feel something hard and thick touch my fingers. And somehow, I miraculously manage to pull out the item.

My hand now-red and a bit swollen-holds a skinny leather-bound book.

I swallow and something unpleasant settles at the bottom of my stomach. I have a very bad feeling.

When I look up from the book, the walls are no longer are covered in lilies. But with the plain dark blue color they used to be. Looking back down on the bottom wall; there's no hole any more.

My heart starts to pound hard in my chest that my ribcage hurts. My body starts shaking, and it wasn't from the cold anymore, It was from fear.

The fear kicks up a notch when I lose control over my legs; my feet moving on their own record. Standing up, I realize that I have no control over my hands either. My hands place themselves on the wall as I whisper an incantation. I want to scream and I want to run-but I'm not able to do any those things. I just stay frozen staring at the wall. Suddenly, writing appears on the wall and I watch it slither across the blue paint like snakes. In my mind, I somehow know that everything that is happening right now in front of me was full of _magic._

When the writing stops, I recognize that the words are in French. F_or those who do not know where my cadaver lies,_ _then my traitorous blood shall show you the way, _I translated_._

And with no more control over any of my body, I feel my legs move toward the door that lead to outside.

It's still drizzling and the water seems to be colder than before. The water splashes around my ankles as I walk to my unknown destination. When I can finally see where my body is leading me, I start to panic. _I'm walking toward the lake. _The pebbles crunch underneath my feet as I reach the edge of the lake and I hope to stop. But I don't. Instead I keep moving. My heart is racing and my blood is pulsing. I felt like I was about to explode.

I'm waist down in the water, and I try to make body moving willingly but it doesn't budge.

I'm now knee length in the water.

Now I'm up to my waist.

My chest

My shoulders

Holding my breath, I go completely in.

My thoughts are now lost for all hope: _I'm going to die. I'm not going to be able to see my family and friends anymore. I won't see my mother, my father, I wouldn't be able to see Zoë, and last I knew she was still mad at me. I wouldn't ever see Carly, Jill, Angeline, Eddie, and worst of all-Adrian._

I never thought I would go down like this. I never thought I would die so young. I never thought that I would drown myself, even though it's technically not me at the same time.

After a minute of no breathing, I notice that I didn't feel light headed and dizzy. And somehow I walk along the bottom of the lake without difficulty. It was as if didn't need the air.

Sand floats around me and I couldn't really see anything. The spell must've been protecting my eyes since they were open. My body didn't feel cold, even though I could tell that the lake around me is freezing.

My body jerks to a stop. Bending down I grab at a tangle of I think is weeds. It felt heavy, but the water helped me carry it. My moments were smooth and fluid; my hair flying around my head.

My feet kick off and I glide through the water effortlessly. It was like I've done this a million times before. After what seemed like forever, (which is really only a few seconds) I finally reach the surface and start to gasp for air. I cough out water even though it was closed the whole time. I choke on the water for a few moments and-my body now in my control-start to move toward land.

When I reach the shore I drag the big tangle of dirt and weeds out of the water. When I'm as far as I can get away from the water, I collapse.

I lay there on the sand, wondering who put the spell on me had made me almost drown myself to get a stupid jumble of _weeds_. It had stopped raining and my heart hammers in my chest. I take deep, shallow breaths as I wait to calm down.

After lying on the sand for a few moments, I pull myself up and touch the pile of weed. Looking at it closer now, I see what looks like the shape of a human body.

When I realize this, I quickly start tearing it apart. Throwing the weeds away and ripping them. When I'm done, I can feel the cold, wet slippery skin. Not really expecting to hear anything I put my ear against the person's flat chest, indicating that it's a man. Hearing no heart beat, I look at the persons face, and I start screaming.

The blue lifeless eyes stare straight ahead at nothing while I keep screaming.

This person… this person is the one who always made me laugh when I was about to cry from my father's insults. This person who cared for me like a real father should have. This person, who understood me like no other, was my uncle.

I don't notice that I'm screaming at the corpse until my throat starts to hurt and my voices croaks. Before I know it, I'm running to my car. I knew that I needed to call the police before someone else found the body first. I didn't want to explain why my finger prints were on him.

Luckily, I had left my phone in the car. Fishing the keys out of my wet pockets, I open the door and hastily look for my phone. Dialing 911 and stuttering over my words, I tell the police that they need to come immediately.

After a lifetime of sitting in the car, I could hear sirens and see red flashing lights. Jumping out of the car, I run towards the lake. While waiting, I had changed out of my clothes into clean dry ones and my hair was pulled up into a bun. Although my clothes were clean, I could still feel the dirty water drying onto my skin. I didn't need to explain to the police why I was wet.

Everything was a blur when I reach the ambulance. Someone starts asking me questions, but I don't say or do anything because the only thing I can focus on at that moment is the medics lifting up my uncle's now covered body.

…..

I stood in front of his house wearing only black clothing. I'd just come back from my Uncle's funeral.

Some people wouldn't probably ever walk into their loved one's house again after finding them dead there, but I'm not like those people.

I got an excuse from the Alchemists that I was allowed to skip school for a few days to recover from my uncle's death. But It'd taken a few weeks to set up the funeral.

I called the gang back at Palm Springs and they all sounded so worried, that I felt bad staying here longer than I had planned. Adrian sounded the worst. He sounded hysterical when I talked to him on the phone. He thought that I was hurt and while no one had hurt me physically; my heart felt like someone had beaten it until it wasn't really beating anymore.

I didn't tell them about my uncle's death, I felt like I shouldn't put the weight on their shoulders. It would be selfish if I did. So they don't really know why I'm here, and I don't want them to know.

I walk cautiously into the house and go up stairs into my uncle's room. Striding over to his bed, I sat gingerly on it and grabbed a fistful of his blanket. The police discovered that his body had only been in the lake for a couple of days and I could faintly smell his cologne on the sheets.

There was a small vanity table that sat across from his bed with a large mirror hanging above it. I stared at myself in the mirror and could see my eyes were full of sadness, but didn't shed any tears. I was wearing a black fitted dress with a lace veil covering one eye and landed just above the tip of my nose. My lips were red from biting them so much.

Not many people had come to his funeral. It was only a number of friends and a few family members that I've never met before. My parents hadn't come.

Digging through my purse, I take the leather book that I had found here before out of my bag. I had retrieved the book the night I'd found the body and this was the first time since then I had come back into the house.

Opening it, my fingers slide over the page as my eyes skim over the text. Only one sentence had caught my attention and it said that it would be best if I used the spell at my darkest times. It read: _Creating the light at the end of the tunnel will help merriment you. _It was in Latin-the book- and I read and re-read the sentence over and over again in my head. I started to say it out loud when I suddenly start to feel a tingling sensation shoot from my finger tips to my shoulders.

I close my eyes, letting the feeling run threw my whole body. It feels good. Sensing a small light through my closed eyelids, I open my eyes. A small blue and gold light floats right in front of me. Eyes glued to the pretty light, my hand reaches out to touch it and when I do, I remember.

_I lay in my bed in my uncle's house half asleep. I am 12 years old. My uncle comes into the room with his blond hair falling onto his blue eyes. He sits on the edge of the bed and I want to ask what he's doing here but I'm too tired to do so. _

"_Sydney?" He asks quietly. I don't respond. He takes a deep breath and says, "Sydney, I know your father is teaching you to hate magic, and that it's all unnatural, and that's it's all evil." Another deep breath, "He's right in some ways, but like humans there are good and bad people in this world that can wield that kind of magic." _

_I was confused. What does he mean? What is he saying? What kind of magic?_

"_Sydney I'm a magic user and you're one too. I know in the future you'll probably find out and you'll despise your magic more than anything. But I don't want you to hate it-it's a part of you-I want you to embrace it." _

_He stays quiet for a few minutes and then continues. "Keep in mind that some vampires are like the humans as well. They have feelings and aren't all blood thirsty. It's just that that they just have more… certain abilities." He chuckles softly at that and then says seriously, "You'll forget this in the morning, but I know that someday, you'll remember." _

_He kisses my forehead and leaves, for what I didn't know was the last time I'd ever see him alive again._

Jerking out of the memory, I take in deep shaky breaths. The blue light disappeared and I close my eyes. I feel my eyelashes touch my cheeks and I realize I'm crying. I hadn't cried at the funeral. Then, I laugh for some odd reason. I know I should be thinking: my Uncles a magic user? How come I never knew? Is that where I got my magic? From him?

I pull out my phone and before I know it, I'm calling Adrian.

After the first ring, he picks up. "Hey," he said softly. "Are you okay, Sage?"

"Yeah," I said, half laughing half crying. "I'm okay." I wipe at my eyes and muster my most polite tone. "How about you? Are you doing fine?"

"Me?" he laughs bitterly. "I'm not so doing so great without you here next to me."

I smiled at that. I am content and I am sad, all at the same time.

**I hope you guys liked this one! Please read and review, and feel free to give me any suggestions!**

**And Thank you to all those who read and reviewed my last one-shot**

**I won't be up dating for a while since the Indigo Spell is coming out in 2 days! **

**Please, please review if you like the edited version better!**


	3. Hopper's dinner

**I edited this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the VA or Bloodlines characters. I only own the plot. **

** Indigo Spell spoilers ahead!**

Passing someone a note during a royal Moroi dinner is inappropriate. Keeping in mind that this is an emergency, I slip my letter to Jill underneath the table. She briefly looks down on her lap and gives me a questioning look but nods at me. Jill was sitting right across from me whit Adrian right beside her. He was just a little too far away for me to reach. I cast a glance at Adrian and see him peek under the table. He looks at me with a confused expression, and then looks at the wall behind Rose, who stands next to the queen protectively. He looks back at me, with his eyes big and filled with panic.

There, behind the queen, was Hopper sitting on the other side of the windowsill. As to how he got there, I have no idea. Considering he was in the little aquarium in my bed room,-in _Palm Springs_-which I was sure I had locked.

Hopper's little hands claw at the window, and is unmistakably looking at Adrian and me longingly. Luckily no one else has noticed the little dragon, (still refusing to call it a demon) trying to get through the window and to its "Parents." I was sitting at the end of the table, which was facing the wide window. And the queen was facing opposite of me with her back against the window. Everyone else was sitting on the sides.

I push back my chair loudly, making a screeching sound against the marble floors. I can feel everyone's eyes on me, and my cheeks start to grow warm. But I keep my eyes trained on the little devil dragon.

"Just going to the bathroom," I mutter.

Even though I say that, I can still feel everyone's eyes following me to the door. After I'm safely out of their view, I start running.

My feet squish in the wet grass as I somehow miraculously found the same window Hopper was sitting at. But I couldn't see him anywhere.

". . . weird" I hear someone murmur.

I look up and see through the window Rose talking to the queen. I momentarily forget my mission of getting Hopper, in favor of eavesdropping in on their conversation.

"How was that weird? She just wanted to go to the bathroom," says the queen in my defense.

"Yeah . . ." Christian says. "But she had this panicky look in her eyes and kept looking at the window."

_Was I really that obvious?_

When he says that, all three look at the window I'm spying through. But fortunately, Hopper decided to come out of his hiding spot and jump on me with a loud sequel. Caught off guard I stumble back and out of sight of the window.

Someone catches me before I can fall, and when I'm standing right again, I whip around so fast, that Hopper has to clutch my dress tighter. I was afraid that the person saw me listening in on the queen's conversation. But When I realize who it is, I calm down.

"What are you doing here?" I whisper fiercely.

"Just helping you look for our beloved son," Adrian whispers back.

"You scared me!"

"Sorry."

Adrian the glances at the window, and says, "Were you eavesdropping on Lissa?"

"What? No" I splutter. "Why would you think that?"

He raises his eyebrows and gives me a crooked smile. Adrian lifts a hand and brushes a strand of fallen hair out of my face, and gently caresses my cheek.

"You're so cute when you're mad." I see the amusement and love in his eyes, and realize that he was teasing me. I flush.

"We're alone," he whispers.

I look around and see that he's right. "Then why are we whispering?"

He laughs and uses his other hand to place on my waist.

Ever since Zoe became an Alchemist, it became harder to obtain a relationship with Adrian. Since she followed me around like a lost duckling. I wouldn't normally mind her doing that, except I couldn't see Adrian as much anymore or that every time I saw the golden lily on her cheek, it was hard to hide my anger.

I was so lost in Adrian's beautiful emerald eyes that I forgot about the dragon holding on to my dress. Adrian pulls me closer, making my whole body tingle. When our faces are an inch apart my breath hitches. But before he can kiss me, an annoying loud screech jerks us apart.

"God!" Adrian said, covering his ears. "How did we not hear that before?"

Irritated, I pluck Hopper off my shoulder as gently as I can, and hold him in my cupped hands. I start walking, assuming Adrian will follow.

"I suppose you don't have anything to feed him with you?" I inquire.

Adrian shakes his head. "No, but I think we should take him to dinner with us."

I stop walking. "What? Why?" I ask, surprised.

"Why not take him with us?" He shrugs. "Plus I also kind of want to prank Christian with him."

His eyes are so pleading, that I sigh in defeat. "Fine," I grumble. "But _you_ have to feed him."

He nods enthusiastically. "Yes ma'am."

…...

Just outside the dining room door, I hand Adrian Hopper. "Wait a minute before you come in."

I slip in, this time without anyone noticing. I take my seat across from Lissa. Jill shoots me a questioning look but I just shake my head, meaning that I would explain later. I guessed she didn't see it through the bond.

After a minute like I told him to wait, Adrian walks in with his hand shoved deep in his pocket. He casually gets to his seat, and while no one was looking he takes a small éclair and puts it in his pocket.

I didn't want to think of how messy his pocket was now. I simply wanted to shudder at the thought of doing something like that. Like a child smearing his food all over his clothes.

We all sit in silence eating our food when suddenly someone yells.

"What the hell?" Christian shouts.

He jumps back from the table. He stars at his plate with a look of shock on his face. My eyes zero in on the little dragon happily eating away at the queen's boyfriend's food.

I gawk at it, along with everyone else. Only when Rose comes up behind it, do I snap back to my senses. But before I can open my mouth, Hopper starts to run around the table. Almost everyone he run's by squeals and jumps to the other side of the room.

While some of the guardians try to catch the fast dragon, I simply just stay in my seat.

Jill's the first to manage to catch Hopper, and when Rose comes to take it away from her; she just tosses him to a laughing Adrian. And when Rose goes after him, Adrian tosses him to me. I felt terrible for Hopper, being tossed around like a ball.

Rose finally gives up on the game of monkey in the middle, and says, "Who's responsible for that . . . thing?"

"Me," Adrian and I chorus together.

Dimitri this time steps up. "Both of you own the, uh, . . . lizard?"  
Adrian and I look at each other, and I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing. Soon Adrian joins me, and we both stand there laughing.

"Yep! It's our darling son." Adrian walks over to me, and wraps his arm around my shoulders.

I'm still laughing when Christian says, "What's so funny about putting a lizard in my food?"

"Your face," Adrian states bluntly. "It was hilarious."

Christian shakes his head in disbelief. "Okay, whatever, it's not really an original prank though, so you should just stop laughing."

"It's not a lizard" I finally manage to add. "It's a dragon."

"A what?" People all around us shout. Except for Jill who knows what Hopper really is.

"So you put a dragon in my food?" Christian asks. "How do you even own a dragon? How do they even exist?"

"Believe me you don't want to know."

"Plus neither of us put him in your food, he must've escaped again." Adrian cocked his head to the side. "Well I think it's a he."

Christian looks at the dragon (really a demon, but I'm not telling them that) in my hand.

"Why is he all lovey dovey with you guys? He was just about ten seconds from destroying my face."

"He considers us as his parents, because we were the first people he saw when he was born." I frown. "Okay now enough with the questions I'm going to put Hopper away, and we'll pretend this never happened alright?"

There's a challenge in my voice, daring anyone to object. But they all nod, and I leave with Adrian snickering by my side.

**Hoped you guys liked this one! I know it was shorter than the other one's I wrote but I think it's the best so far. Please review and feel free to give me any suggestions to help me write better, or any ideas. **

**PS. Sorry for taking so long to update.**


	4. Finally free

**So, so sorry guys! I didn't mean to take months to update, but for a while I just thought that I wasn't a good writer so I stopped. But then I was like if I ever wanted to be a writer, I would need practice, so hopefully this is a one shot you all will like. It's been bouncing around my head for ages now and I really wanted to get it out.**

**Disclaimer: Only own the plot**

Something cold and hard stings my cheek. Slowly, I open my eyes. The world around me spins and my head starts to pound. Even though I was dizzy, I had enough clarity of mind to know that I was lying on the metal floor of my cell face-down.

Fully awake now I started to breathe shallowly as my blood starts to seep out of my mouth. My entire body was bruised, and I was pretty sure I'd somehow twisted or broken my ankle. Re-education has been hard on me. Although, I can imagine it's been hard on everyone.

The Alchemists never found out that I was in love with Adrian - who was a Moroi. Although, in their eyes, he's an evil creature of the night. I'm in re-education because I started to lack off. It was shocking to the gang back in Palm Springs when I started being rude to them and hardly ever concentrated.

I never wanted to hurt them. But when I started to use magic more frequently, I became more and more exhausted to the point where I didn't even want to get out of bed. And while I became more tired, I was paranoid about Alicia—paranoid that I was going to get caught by the Alchemist's and that Zoe was going to be the one to turn me in. But she didn't. The other Alchemists found out on their own.

I couldn't understand why they put me in Re-education since technically, I didn't do anything wrong. But I guess since I wandered off from my duties they decided that a good scolding just wouldn't do.

Pulling myself up to my elbows, I tried to recall what had happened when I was being beaten to the pulp. I remembered that a lady in a white coat with a lily tattoo on her cheek questioned me about the gang in Palm Springs, her voice was filled with so much disgust and loath, that I punched her.

Although I hated violence, I felt a need to defend my friends. Plus, she needed a taste of her own medicine. What she said about Adrian was completely out of line and unforgivable.

Sometimes I feel as if though I can feel my sanity leave me. Like I was water and I was falling through a drain. _Falling. _I think being broken in the inside is worse than being broken from the outside.

Unsteadily, I get up and try to make my way to the small, over stuffed box of springs they call a bed. On top of the bed were a thin blanket and a lumpy pillow.

After twisting and turning on the bed and inflicting more pain on myself instead of getting more comfortable, I gave up in favor of thinking of times when I was back in Palm Springs. One time, Hopper, (the little dragon demon) had eaten too much sugar and had started to run around like crazy in Adrian's apartment. And the funniest part was I just stood back and watched Adrian trying to catch him.

_Adrian_, I thought, sighing in my head. Adrian has always been there for me. Even when I had broken his heart multiple times, he was always just _there. _It was almost impossible to imagine my life without him_. _And now, I was living one of my worst nightmares.

I knew if anyone was going to get me out of here, it would be him. Because as long as his heart was beating, he would never, _ever_, let the alchemists have me.

_But they already have you Sydney, a_ voice said gleefully in my mind. _You've been here for a long, long time. If it was true that the blood sucker really did care about you, why didn't he come already?_

_Shut up,_ I thought back to myself angrily. Ever since I came to the Re-education center, there has been a very irritating voice talking trash about the very same vampires I had come to care for so deeply.

Closing my eyes, I imagined myself in Adrian's strong arms. And after a few minutes of day dreaming, I dozed off.

_Sydney, _a soft voice whispers in my head. This voice was different than the last one, it was sweeter and more comforting. _Sydney, _it whispers again. _Sage, please answer me. Please be there._

Sage? Only one person has ever called me that before. _Sage, please, please, please be there! _The angelic voice was pleading now, and it pained me to hear it.

After a moment of hesitation of whether or not I should respond, I called out, "Adrian?"

"Sydney?" his voice was clearer now, and his beautiful face flashed before me.

And before I knew it, I was pulled fully into a spirit dream.

Adrian stood before me, wearing a tee-shirt and jeans. He looked the same as too green to be real. Messy brown hair. Beautiful sculpted face. The one thing that I noticed was different, was that his eyes were full of pain and had dark circles under them.

"Sydney?" his voice was filled with disbelief and surprise. "Is that-is it really you?"

I open my mouth to respond, but no words come out. Instead, a weird choking sound fell out instead. _Yes. It's me. But is it really you?_.

"Because if this is one of the crazy dreams I've had about you, then I really am going to kill mys -"

He stops abruptly when I throw myself toward him. I hug him while I sob out his name. "Adrian! Adrian! Oh, Adrian!"

"S-Sydney? S-S-Sage?" Adrian pulls back to look at me, his eyes drink me in as it he starts to realize that it really was me. "Oh my god Sydney," he whispers. His eyes start to fill with tears. "I-I-I thought I lost you. I thought that I would never see you again. That you would never come back!" His face was alight with happiness and love. I was pretty sure mine was too.

When I wrap my arms around his neck, I notice something. All the bruises that were on my arm before, were now gone. In its place is smooth, lightly sun-kissed ski-

Adrian's mouth on mine interrupts my thought of process. Pleasurable chills crawl all over my skin, and fire burns in within me. Adrian pulls me to him tighter and starts to lift me off my feet. I wrap my legs around his waist and run my fingers repeatedly through his hair.

After what seems like hours of kissing, he leans back to brush away my tears, and says, "Oh my God. I've missed you so much." He gives me one more kiss before he asks, "Why did you leave us Sage? Why did you leave _me?_ My God, do you know how all worried we've all been? Especially your sister. She thinks that we had done something to you." While he spoke, his voice broke and it looked like his tears would spill any moment.

"I didn't leave you guys on purpose," I said sadly.

"What?" Adrian looked a little taken aback by this. "So you mean the Alch-"

I cut him off. "The Alchemists were the ones who took me."

Adrian set me down on my feet but kept one hand on my waist as his other hand ran through his hair. "At first I thought it was the Alchemists, but when we broke into five different re-education centers and didn't find you, we thought that you ran away by free will." Adrian gave a frustrated sigh. "I tried to spirit dream you but I never could reach you. And when Jackie couldn't find you either, she thought you were shielding yourself and you didn't want to be found."

After he finished talking, only one thing had truly stuck to my mind as I practically yelled, "FIVE RE-EDUCATION CENTERS? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?"

Adrian flinched at the loudness of my voice, but gave me a sheepish smile. "Well, some say I am kind of-" his finger spun in a circle as he talked. "-crazy."

I gave him an annoyed look. "You know I don't mean it like that. But seriously, five centers and you weren't caught once?'

"Well, having super compulsion and the queen as one of your closest friends does have its perks."

I groaned. "Of course you used compulsion. And you dragged the queen into this?" my tone was disapproving.

Adrian held up his hands in surrender, but was grinning. "Hey, she was curious about you."

I groaned again and hung my head.

He placed his hands on my shoulders and I looked back at him "Sage, where are you? In real life, I mean." His eyes grew more serious by the minute as he waits for an answer and his grin faded.

Hope was etched clearly onto his face but it soon disappeared when I told him I wasn't sure. "I honestly don't know, Adrian." then whispered, "I honestly don't know."

"But do at least know if your near a high way, a lake, an ocean?" he was desperate now.

I shook my head. "No, I was knocked out the whole time they took to get me here." He put his head in his hands when something occurred to me. "Adrian, how did you find out about re-education centers?"

He lowered his hands and looked at me. "I didn't know they were called Re-education centers at first, but I knew there was a place where 'corrupted' Alchemists went. And after some research did I then know what it exactly was."

"Huh." I didn't press for any more information. My mind was still absorbing from what he had said before.

We both stood there in silence and I took a moment to see where Adrian had taken us this time. It was his apartment and it looked the same as ever: The bright, yellow walls that clashed horribly with the plaid couch. A few blank canvases were littered on the floor around us. I noticed that I was wearing the Aye t-shirt Adrian had made me and faded jeans.

Adrian voice broke me out of my stupor when he said, "Okay, so this is what we have so far as to where you are: nothing. We don't know what city or state you're in . . . hell, we don't even know if you're still in America! And so far, we haven't been able to break into anymore of the Alchemists records!" He took a deep breath as if to calm himself, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

I had figured just as much, since no one had come for me. I don't want to sound cocky or anything, but the gang in Palm Springs has made it very clear that they would never leave me in the Alchemists clutches forever. Also, I knew that it would be a while before they could find any leads as to my whereabouts. So, that meant I had to take matters into my own hands.

"I'll break myself out," I said, sounding more confident then I actually was.

Adrian looked at me sharply. "Absolutely not!"

"Why not?" I challenged. "We both know it will take a long while before any of you will come close as to find out where I am."

Adrian looked frustrated. "How would you break out Sydney? Huh? I know that you're one of the smartest people on the planet, but it takes much more than a genius to break out of a prison themselves."

"That's why we have magic on our side," I said, determined to break out of Re-education with or without someone's help.

"Magic?" Adrian said, as realization dawned on him.

"Yes, magic." I placed my hands on his shoulders as I looked deep into his beautiful, depth full green eyes. "That's one thing they would never have anticipated me being able to do."

Adrian looked reluctant to cave in. "But Sydney . . . that would be exposing yourself to them."

Hesitantly, I answered, "I know. But hopefully they'll be scared enough not to bother me again."

"But wouldn't you be shunned by your family? Isn't using magic go against everything they learned?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm pretty sure in my fathers and Zoe's eyes that I'm already a disgrace to the family." I paused, wincing at the thought. "As for my mom and Carly . . . well, I think they wouldn't really care."

Adrian smiled a small smile. "Okay, okay. Just be careful. I don't want them to find out that you're a witch and your still stuck in Re-edcation. They'd probably use you as a science experiment or burn you at the stake."

I laughed, but there was no humor in it. "I think they might do the for-" I stopped when Adrian's face started blurring around the edges.

"Damn it," Adrian muttered as he hurriedly pulled me into a hug.

"What's happening?" I asked, although I already knew.

"Someone's waking you up. Sydney, I L-" Before he could finish his sentence, I was already awake and he was gone. Laying on the hard bed and staring at the ceiling above me, I was back into my nightmare.

I jump slightly when I notice someone standing right next to me. My blood runs cold and my heart rate goes up. It was man. Clad in a white lab coat with a light blue shirt underneath. His lip twisted into what I think was meant to be a pleasant smile. "Well, now that are little Alchemist has woken up, shall we get started?"

Behind him was a very large, bulky man. Who I assumed was a body guard. I guess after my little . . . _accident_ happened, they were more careful with me. _Great,_ I thought bitterly. _This is going to make escaping harder._

The body guard was wearing white. White shirt, white pants, and white shoes, etc. The only thing to keep me from squinting at him is his light green complexion, making him look ill. I decided to call him The Hulk. Besides his oddly colored skin and his bulging muscles, his expression was aggressive.

I drew my attention away from The Hulk and back to the man in the white coat "My name is Bob," he said. "And I'm here to help you." I wanted to snicker at his name. Considering he had a bald, shiny head and beer belly, the name suited him perfectly.

Instead of laughing like I wanted to though, I said, "What are you doing?" my voice croaked as if I hadn't used in years.

He pulled out a black suit case as he talked. "Oh, just merely re-inking you." He opened the case and pulled out the needle along with a vial containing blue liquid.

"What's that?" I asked. They had re-inked me before—when I had first got here—but the liquid before was gold.

"What, this?" he held up the flask. "This is a special concoction we came up just for you." His voice was dripping with pride. "My son had come up with it."

"What does it do?" I was starting to get irritated by Bob.

"This will expunge your time in Palm Springs. Where it will hopefully turn you back into the great Alchemist you so undoubtedly meant to be, Miss Sage."

He continued to talk as he got the needle ready but I wasn't listening anymore. _They wanted to wipe away my time in Palm Springs? But those were where one of the best moments of my life happened! _

Lost in my own thoughts, I don't notice the Hulk strapping my arms to the bed and pinning my ankles down. I tuned back into reality when Bob turns on the needle and it's only a few inches away from my cheek. As panic set in on what he was doing, I tried to struggle away from him.

"Now hold still, we wouldn't want you to get hurt, now do we?" Bob clamps one hand on my forehead and pushes my head back down on the bed.

_Hurt me? Was this some sick joke? They hurt me more than anybody can count. They hurt me to the point where I could hardly move any of my limbs. They hurt not only me but they hurt Adrian too. They took me away from him._

"Let me go." My voice went hardly above a whisper.

"Be quiet," Bob snapped.

At that, something inside _me_ snaps. I was tired of the Alchemists always telling me what to do. Like I didn't have a mind of my own and they had to lead me in the right direction. But not anymore could they do that. Because I was my own person and only _I _could control what I do.

"I said, LET. ME. GO!" Bob, startled by the force and loudness of my voice, drops the needle. That's when my opportunity to escape presents itself. Blooming beautifully like a flower blooms in the spring.

I managed to wrench my leg away from The Hulk and kick him hard in the groin. He stumbles back and bangs his head on the wall with a sickening crack and crumples forward unconscious. I rip the straps from my arms and stand up completely, ignoring the pain in my foot. Bob, who's taken aback at what I just did, grabs the first thing he sees-which happens to be the tattoo needle-and throws it at me. He misses and it hits the wall behind me instead. Making my way towards him, I grab at his shirt and slam him against the wall. His terrified expression melts away and his features go slack.

Bending down, I search through his pockets looking for some sort of key. Something cold and smooth touches my hands. Pulling my hands out from his pocket, I pull out his ID card. Figuring that I could use the card to open the door, I take the card and slip it through the thin slot between the wall and the door. After sliding it up and down in the niche for a minute, I hear a click. I push the door open and almost immediately an alarm goes off. Red lights flash around me, as I run down the long hallway.

"I've found her!" a man's voice calls. "She's over here! Quick!"

Adrenaline taking over my body, I pumped my legs faster. My heart beats wildly in my chest; my legs burning. I turn down another hallway and I find out that it's a dead end. Panic seizes me as I hear receding footsteps behind. Slowly, I turn around.

Two men and a woman stand there as they try to catch their breath. One of the men holds a gun in front of him; his arms sticking straight out. "We have . . . you . . . surrounded," he said, breathing heavily. "Come with us . . . now and . . . we won't . . . shoot you."

"No." My voice was loud and clear amid the heavy breathing.

"Excuse me?" the woman said, clearly stunned. _Like they actually expected me to come with them. _I snorted at the thought.

"You heard me," I said a little cockily. "I'm not going with you and you can't make me."

The woman huffs. "Watch us." She nods her head to the man holding the gun. "Shoot her."

The man fires but the bullet never reached me. I felt something warm and pleasant surge within me. The bullet stops, suspended in mid air a few feet in front of me. Suddenly, the bullet flies back and hits the shooter in the arm instead. The man yells in pain and falls forward.

I didn't feel any remorse at that moment for what I had just done to the man. It wasn't like he was going to die, but I knew later that I would feel guilty about it.

Still feeling the warmth in my veins, I willed myself to disappear. I've never tried doing this back when I was learning from -magically going from one place to another instantly-but I fortunately knew the basics of it. I tried to imagine a place. A place that I knew that I would be safe. Somewhere quiet and had beauty.

I repeated this over and over in my head, and the words were vividly clear in my mind. I felt something wrap itself over me. Like a warm embrace, but I could feel it everywhere. White clouded my vision and it felt like my insides where hallow.

Then, my eyes opened. I stood in an open, vast field with tall, green trees surrounding me in a circle. Flowers sprung from beneath the earth's surface and a small pond lay a few yards away from me. Luscious grass sat underneath my feet. It was all so beautiful and quiet. The only sound there was, was birds chirping and the reverberation of crashing water nearby. I guessed there was a small waterfall close by. And for some strange reason, I felt safe.

I laughed at the irony of it, even though I had no specific place in mind, my magic had taken me exactly where I wanted to go.

I was finally free.

**So . . . there you go guys. Please review if you guys liked this small story! **

**I've read many stories about Adrian breaking Sydney out of Re-education and I think I only read one where she broke herself out. But they never really went into detail on how she broke out. Anyway, I just couldn't resist adding Adrian in there but still have Sydney break out of Re-education by herself. **

**Again please review! And thank you to all of those who have before!**


	5. Mad

**By the way, I have re-edited chapters 1-3 and they're way better now! and I almost completely re-did chapters 1 and 2, the 3rd only a little bit. Please review if you like them!**

**This is a small one shot dedicated to a guest reviewer who requested for Sydney to get mad at Lissa because of Jill. I don't know exactly if this is what they meant, but hopefully this will satisfy because I couldn't think much of something else that I could do that would work. **

**And thank you **_**Spaztronaut**_** for your help on my writing.**

**Disclaimer: I only own the plot. **

"I just don't know why she would do that! Ugh!" I groaned as I fell on top of Adrian's bed.

"You know she can't help but feel that way," Adrian said coolly.

When I had finally managed to get away from Zoe, I went to Adrian's apartment for help on what I should do about Jill. Lissa had only recently had small talk with Jill over the phone and Jill had gotten mad because she only had called _now _and not before. Apparently, she had also said some stuff she shouldn't have. And from what I knew, Lissa hadn't been the friendliest sister to Jill but not the meanest either. At least, that's what Jill had said.

"I know. But can't she at least _try_ to be nicer Jill? I know that Lissa's probably a sweet girl and all, it's just that with Jill . . . I don't know."

"It's not like Lissa's rude to Jill," Adrian said in his friends' defense.

"I know. But from what I can tell, she doesn't really talk to Jill and didn't really like her in the beginning," I said.

Adrian frowned. "Yeah, that's true. But she didn't really like her at first because she had a crush on Christian." Christian is Lissa's boyfriend.

I raised an eyebrow. "She was worried that a fifteen year old girl was going to steal her eighteen year old boyfriend?"

Adrian laughed a little and sat down on the bed with me. I was still laying back-down and staring at the ceiling. "Yeah, but back then they had broken up. Lissa was jealous of almost every girl in their teens talking to Christian."

I chuckled at that and sat up. Adrian wrapped an arm around me and I did the same, laying my head on his shoulder. "I wonder what I would do-if we were broken up and I saw girls talking to you."

Adrian gasped as if he were surprised. "You think that we could actually break up?" he feigningly placed his hand over his chest like it actually hurt. "That hurts my heart Sage. It hurts"

I gave him a small shove while he kept grinning devilishly. "I don't think we would actually break up. If you noticed before I said: _If we were broken up._"

"Oh, I noticed." Adrian looked at me like I was crazy to think he wouldn't have noticed.

I shook my head in confusion. Shaking off his intent gaze on me I said, "Have you ever . . ." I trialed off, not sure on how I should say it.

"Ever what?" Adrian prompts.

"Ever got jealous when I've talked to guys," my words were rushed and I wasn't sure if he caught what I was saying. Bu he did.

"Sage, I got jealous when that loser . . . what was his name again? Kian?"

"Ian," I corrected him.

"Whatever. I got jealous when that Ivan guy got to take you out on dinner and you wouldn't get in trouble for it. But when you're with me you have to lie to your sister just so you could over to see me for a few minutes." Adrian looked glum and sad and I wanted to do nothing more than wipe that expression off his face.

"You know, 'Ivan' never really had a chance with me. I mean, he's nice and all, but . . . he's _boring_," I said, emphasizing the word boring.

Adrian instantly smiled and it lit up his whole face beautifully. "Yeah, your right. I know you won't ever find someone as interesting as me."

I planted a kiss on his cheek as I giggled, "Now that, is one of the truest things I have ever heard." I paused, and then added, "And you won't ever find someone as smart as me."

Adrian grinned and pushed me gently down on the bed. "So true," he said and started to kiss me. Deep down, I was still mad at Lissa for what she makes Jill feel like, but I pushed those worries away as I focused all my attention on Adrian.

**Again,****please review guys! If I have more reviews my next chapter will have some more Sydrian in it! And feel free to give me any prompts! Thank you to all of those who have already reviewed.**


	6. Presents

**I know it's not Christmas, but in the Indigo Spell it was December and I just really wanted to write this and share it all with you! Please feel free to give any prompts or suggestions. **

**And thank you **_**Cherryslushlover**_** for reviewing! And to anyone else who reviewed!**

"Do we really have to make the food _ourselves?"_ Angeline whined.

I looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. "We? _You're _not doing anything."

She rolled her eyes and hopped off them marble counter. "This is more boring than talking to Clarence."

"Then go do something else if this is boring," Jill said exasperated; tired of Angeline's constant complaining. And she wasn't the only one. Angeline was starting to give me a headache.

"Fine." With a final huff, she left the kitchen.

Today was Christmas and tonight we were supposed to have a big dinner. I was the one making food because Zoe made it clear that she would not eat anything that Dorothy made. So that left me to cook with some help from Jill. But of course, I would never tell Zoe that I had a vampire was helping me. I guess I could've just told her that I made the food, when Dorothy actually made it. But I didn't like lying to my sister anymore than I had to. Plus, at home I would usually help my mom make meals and I always had fun doing it.

"Where is Zoe, by the way?" Jill asked.

"I dropped her off at the mall."

"They have the mall open today?" I shrugged, focusing on the instructions on how to prepare the chicken. "She said some stores are open and she hadn't gotten me a present yet."

"I'm here!" Adrian sang, bounding into the room. His hair was in its normally messy style and his eyes were as green as vibrant as ever. But today he wore a bright red sweater that matched his Santa Claus hat.

"And late," I exclaimed.

"Adrian Ivashkov is never late!"

Jill laughed and said, "Come on, let's start. Or we'll never finish making the food."

"We haven't even started making it to finish it!" I threw my hands in the air angrily and grabbed a knife and angrily thrust it towards Adrian.

"You almost killed me!" He said, after taking the knife from my hands.

"Just peel the dang potatoes."

He grumbled unintelligible words under his breath as he grabbed a potato and started hacking at viscously.

"Someone's moody today," I breathed.

After a painstakingly long hour of preparing the Chicken and putting it in the oven, Adrian was still trying to peeling his third potato. Jill had finished making the salad and had started the dessert when she excused herself to the bathroom.

Taking the half-finished potato from Adrian, I quickly finished peeling the rest of them for him.

"Why don't we just go out to eat?" he muttered.

"Because I like home made food better." Filling a pot full of water, I place it on the stove and wait for it to start boiling. "Plus, I thought you said you wanted to see me in an apron."

Arians eyes widen as he took in what I was wearing. "Damn, you're right. And you look hotter than I thought you would."

I rolled my eyes as I placed my hands on his shoulder. I was just barely taller than him since he was sitting. "And _you_-" I placed my hands on his face and leaned in closer "-look adorable in your little Santa hat." The hat had a little bell and I gave it a small shake.

He feigned his rage. "I don't look adorable in my awesome hat! I look se-"

I cut him off with my lips on his. Quickly and swiftly, I pulled him up from his seat and locked my legs around his waist. I did this all in one move. Sparks exploded inside me and I started to gasp for air. I pulled away from the blissful kiss, but kept my arms entwined around his neck and hair, and my legs wrapped around his waist.

"Well, uh . . . um . . ." he was speechless. His eyes blazed with desire as he panted for breath.

"Merry Christmas," I whispered deviously in his ear.

"Merry Christmas," he spluttered.

I stood back on my feet and patted my apron down. "That was your first present," I said, turning to the pot on the stove that now had bubbling water.

"_First_ _present_," Adrian murmured to himself. "I can't wait to find out what the second one is."

I giggled. Well he was going to be disappointed. Because his second present was only a drawing tablet.

**Thank you for reading and please, please review!**


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